Vacuum pump with abatement function

ABSTRACT

A vacuum pump with abatement function is used for evacuating a chamber of a manufacturing apparatus. The vacuum pump with abatement function includes a vacuum pump having a discharge port to which one or more abatement parts for treating an exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump to make the exhaust gas harmless are attached. The one or more abatement parts are selected, depending on the amount and kind of the exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump, from plural kinds of abatement parts which have different treatment types of exhaust gas and/or different treatment amounts of exhaust gas.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No2013414275 filed May 30, 2013, the entire contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

In a manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor devices,liquid crystal panels, LEDs, solar cells or the like, a process gas isintroduced into a process chamber which is being evacuated to performvarious processes such as an etching process, a CVD process or the like.The process chamber for performing various processes such as an etchingprocess, a CVD process or the like is evacuated by a vacuum pump.Further, the process chamber and exhaust apparatuses connected to theprocess chamber are cleaned periodically by supplying a cleaning gasthereto. Because exhaust gases such as the process gas, the cleaning gasor the like contain a silano-based gas (SiH₄, TEOS or the like), ahalogen-based gas (NF₃, ClF₃, SF₆, CHF₃ or the like), a PFC gas (CF₄,C₂F₆ or the like) or the like, such exhaust gases have negative effectson human bodies and on the global environment such as global warming.Therefore, it is not preferable that these exhaust gases are emitted tothe atmosphere as they are. Accordingly, these exhaust gases are madeharmless by an exhaust gas treatment apparatus provided at a downstreamside of the vacuum pump, and the harmless exhaust gases are emitted tothe atmosphere.

In a manufacturing process for manufacturing semiconductor devices,liquid crystal panels, LEDs, solar cells or the like, various processgases, a cleaning gas and the like are used. The exhaust gas treatmentapparatus for treating exhaust gases such as various process gases and acleaning gas, has the following problems.

1) Specifications of the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses are preparedfor respective customers and respective processes depending on the kinds(reactions) of the gases and the gas flow rates to be used in thesemiconductor manufacturing processes, and the exhaust gas treatmentapparatuses are evaluated and then brought to the market. In this case,in order to treat the exhaust gas to an allowable concentration orsmaller, a treatment part, a cooling part, a powder collection part andthe like are customized (modified depending on the specifications).Therefore, the exhaust gas treatment apparatuses need to be designed,manufactured and evaluated, for respective customers and respectivemanufacturing processes, thus requiring a great deal of labor andincreasing an apparatus cost.

2) A process apparatus generally comprises one or more process chambers,and one or more dry vacuum pumps are connected to each process chamber,and then respective exhaust lines of the dry vacuum pumps are connectedto the exhaust gas treatment apparatus. Therefore, the exhaust gastreatment apparatus needs to treat exhaust gases from the plural processchambers. Since the respective plural process chambers differ inrecipes, the kinds of gases to be used and the timing of inflow of thegas differ in the respective process chambers. Accordingly, when takinginto consideration the kind of gas and the pattern of the amount of gasto be introduced into the exhaust gas treatment apparatus, innumerablecombinations can exist. The exhaust gas treatment apparatus havingtreatment performance which can deal with all these combinations isdemanded, resulting in excessive performance (over-engineering).

3) Since the exhaust gases are introduced into the exhaust gas treatmentapparatus from the process apparatus operated by using plural chambers,the treatment capacity of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus depends onthe use conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to select hardwaresettings, utility settings and software settings of the exhaust gastreatment apparatus to fit the use conditions or to cover the assumeduse conditions, and thus it is difficult to cope with change of therecipe and change of the process flexibly and promptly.

4) It is common for the specifications of the exhaust gas treatmentapparatus to collectively treat exhaust gases from the plural chambersby the single abatement apparatus, and thus the exhaust gas treatmentapparatus inevitably becomes large in size. In many cases, the largeexhaust gas treatment apparatus is installed at a place apart from thedry vacuum pump by a certain distance due to limitations of theinstallation place in the factory. In a process in which a product isgenerated, if an exhaust line is long, the product is liable toaccumulate. Therefore, maintenance of the exhaust line is necessary toaffect downtime of the process apparatus. The accumulation of theproduct increases back pressure of the dry vacuum pump and causes a pumptrouble.

5) In order to suppress the generation of sublimation product, it isnecessary to install a heater on a pipe of the exhaust line, thusaffecting an initial cost, a running cost, and the installment work timeof the heater. The restoration of the heater at the time of themaintenance of the exhaust line also affects a process downtime.

6) The heater installed on the pipe generally employs a jacket-typeheater which has a heater coil therein. The monitoring of thetemperature necessary for controlling the heater is performed by athermocouple provided on the heater coil or on a surface of a piece ofan object to be heated. Since the unevenness of temperature distributionof the object to be heated cannot be avoided by single-point temperaturecontrol, in order to make the temperature distribution as uniform aspossible, a large amount of design work such as feedback of measuredresults or re-manufacturing is required. Further, when the heater isinstalled on a long pipe, segmentation of the heater or the like isgenerally necessary to make the temperature distribution uniform, andthus complex individual control and complex wiring of the segmentalizedheater are required. Consequently, an increase of labor of installationwork, an increase of the initial cost and the like are caused.

7) The dry vacuum pomp for exhausting the process chamber and theexhaust gas treatment apparatus are individually controlled.Specifically, ON/OFF of the operation, switching of a combustion mode,interlock and the like are performed by exchanging signals individuallybetween the dry vacuum pump and the manufacturing apparatus and betweenthe exhaust gas treatment apparatus and the manufacturing apparatus.Accordingly, input and output signals need to be controlled with respectto each of the dry vacuum pump and the exhaust gas treatment apparatus.Further, the monitoring of the dry vacuum pump and the exhaust gastreatment apparatus is performed individually to control the operationsof the dry vacuum pump and the exhaust gas treatment apparatus.Therefore, when protocols which work in conjunction with themanufacturing apparatus are constructed in each of the dry pump and theexhaust gas treatment apparatus, the manufacturing apparatus needs notonly complex control hardware/software design but also complexlyconstructed wiring, thus causing an increase of design man-hours of themanufacturing apparatus. As a result, not only the initial cost but alsoverification time increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object to provide a vacuum pump with abatementfunction having an abatement part which is unnecessary to be customized(modified depending on specifications) for treating an exhaust gas to anallowable concentration or smaller, and thus can significantly shortenthe design time and the verification time to reduce the lead time andcan satisfy the minimum specifications in accordance with the safeallowable concentration at the minimum initial cost and the minimumrunning cost.

Embodiments, which will be described below, relate to a vacuum pump foruse in an exhaust system of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturingsemiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, LEDs, or the like, andmore particularly to a vacuum pump with abatement function whichcomprises a vacuum pump, for evacuating a chamber of the manufacturingapparatus, to which an abatement function for treating an exhaust gasdischarged from the chamber to make the exhaust gas harmless is added.

In order to achieve the above object, in an embodiment, there isprovided a vacuum pump with abatement function comprising: a vacuum pumphaving a discharge port to which one or more abatement parts fortreating an exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump to make theexhaust gas harmless are attached; wherein the one or more abatementparts are selected, depending on the amount and kind of the exhaust gasdischarged from the vacuum pump, from plural kinds of abatement partswhich have different treatment types of exhaust gas and/or differenttreatment amounts of exhaust gas.

According to the embodiment, the plural kinds of the abatement partshaving different treatment types of exhaust gas are prepared, and theplural abatement parts having different treatment amounts of exhaust gasin each of the abatement parts having different treatment types ofexhaust gas are prepared. An optimal abatement part is selected,depending on the amount and kind of the exhaust gas discharged from thevacuum pump, from the plural kinds of abatement parts and/or the pluralabatement parts having different treatment amounts of exhaust gas, andthe selected abatement part is integrated with the vacuum pump.Therefore, the abatement part is unnecessary to be customized (modifieddepending on specifications) in order to treat the exhaust gas to theallowable concentration or smaller, and the design time and theverification time can be shortened significantly, thus contributing toreduction of the lead time. Further, combined configuration determinedby the kinds and the number of the abatement parts can be tailored tothe use conditions.

In an embodiment, the vacuum pump comprises a single vacuum pump or aplurality of vacuum pumps connected in series and/or in parallel.

According to the embodiment, the vacuum pump may comprise a single dryvacuum pump or a plurality of dry vacuum pumps connected in series or inparallel. The one or more dry vacuum pumps comprise a roots-type dryvacuum pump, a screw-type dry vacuum pump, a claw-type dry vacuum pump,a scroll-type dry vacuum pump, or the like.

In an embodiment, the one or more abatement parts comprise a singleabatement part or a plurality of abatement parts connected in seriesand/or in parallel.

According to the embodiment, one or more vacuum pumps and one or moreabatement parts are connected. According to the embodiment, the pluralabatement parts are connected in combination of series and/or parallelto form a group of abatement parts which can cope with various kinds ofprocess demands and complex process demands. The plural abatement partsmay be connected in combination of the plural kinds of the abatementparts such as a combustion-type, a dry type, a wet-type and afixing-type, or in combination of the plural abatement parts of a singlekind, depending on the amount and kinds of the exhaust gas.

In an embodiment, a common utility facility is configured to supplycooling water and/or an inert gas to the vacuum pump and the one or moreabatement parts.

According to the embodiment, since the common utility facility iscapable of supplying cooling water and/or inert gas to the vacuum pumpand the abatement part, lines at the utility side can be simplified.Therefore, the design man-hours (hard/soft) can be reduced. Further,since it is not necessary to ensure utility lines for the abatementpart, the utility planning can be simplified to reduce the initial cost.Furthermore, the management of the utility status in the abatement partand the vacuum pump can be performed by a single monitor to facilitateoperational management.

In an embodiment, the inert gas is heated by using heat generated by theabatement treatment of the exhaust gas in the abatement part, and theheated inert gas is supplied to the vacuum pump.

According to the embodiment, waste beat generated by abatement treatmentof the exhaust gas in the abatement part is utilized to heat the inertgas such as N₂, and the heated inert gas is supplied to the vacuum pump.Therefore, purging of the vacuum pump can be performed by the heatedinert gas, and thus the product can be prevented from being attached tothe interior of the vacuum pump. According to the embodiment, it is notnecessary to install a dedicated heater for heating the inert gas, thusachieving the reduction of the design man-hours, the reduction of thelead time due to the reduced number of the parts, and the reduction ofthe cost. Further, power for heater is not necessary, and thus energycan be saved.

In an embodiment, the common utility facility is configured to supplyfuel and air to the abatement part of a combustion-type.

In an embodiment, the common utility facility is configured to supplythe fuel from a portable cylinder.

In an embodiment, the exhaust gas is treated by the one or moreabatement parts, and then the treated gas is discharged directly to anexhaust duct located at an installation site of the vacuum pump withabatement function.

In an embodiment, the exhaust gas is treated by the one or moreabatement parts, and then the treated gas is discharged to a scrubber.

In an embodiment, a controller configured to collectively control thevacuum pump and the abatement part is provided.

According to the embodiment, since the controller is configured tocollectively control the vacuum pump and the abatement part, it is notnecessary to prepare interfaces from the manufacturing apparatusrespectively for the vacuum pump and for the exhaust gas treatmentapparatus unlike conventional manner. Since a main port for signals isprovided in the vacuum pump, the control of the apparatus side or thefactory side can be simplified. Since a pump controller controls theabatement part in accordance with the operation status of the vacuumpump, synchronous operation and safe operation, in accordance with theuse conditions and use environment, of the abatement part and the vacuumpump can be realized. The operation mode of the abatement part can beoptimized in accordance with the use status of the vacuum pump.

In an embodiment, there is provided an abatement part comprising: one ormore abatement parts for treating an exhaust gas to make the exhaust gasharmless; and a controller configured to control the entirety of the oneor more abatement parts; wherein the controller is configured to sendand receive signals to and from a controller provided in an apparatuslocated at an installation site of the abatement part, and to outputstatus signals of the one or more abatement parts to a monitoring systemlocated at the installation site.

In the case where the abatement part of the embodiment is connected toan existing exhaust system equipped with a vacuum pump, in the casewhere the abatement part of the embodiment is brought to the market inwhich a vacuum pump is not necessary, or in other cases, the abatementpart needs to be controlled alone. According to the embodiment, sincethe abatement part has a controller for controlling the entire abatementpart, the stand-alone-type abatement part can be constructed. Thestand-alone-type abatement part can be used in combination of a blowerand the abatement part, or by the abatement part itself. Therefore, theabatement part can be used in the existing exhaust system equipped withthe vacuum pump.

The above-described embodiments offer the following advantages.

(1) The plural kinds of the abatement parts having different treatmenttypes of exhaust gas are prepared, and the plural abatement parts havingdifferent treatment amounts of exhaust gas in each of the abatementparts having different treatment types of exhaust gas are prepared. Anoptimal abatement part is selected, depending on the amount and kind ofthe exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump, from the plural kindsof abatement parts and/or the plural abatement parts having differenttreatment amounts of exhaust gas, and the selected abatement part isintegrated with the vacuum pump. Therefore, the abatement part isunnecessary to be customized (modified depending on specifications) inorder to treat the exhaust gas to the allowable concentration orsmaller, and the design time and the verification time can be shortenedsignificantly, thus contributing to reduction of the lead time. Further,combined configuration determined by the kinds and the number of theabatement parts can be tailored to the use conditions.

(2) Since the conventional exhaust gas treatment apparatus has beenlarge in size, its transportation, installation, de-installation andrelocation have not been easy and have required complex control. On theother hand, the abatement part of the embodiment has a small-sized andcompact configuration and is comprised of a small number of parts, thusreducing a failure rate. In the case of failure, the abatement part canbe replaced on site with a spare abatement part, and thus the processdowntime can be reduced. In the case of maintenance, the abatement partcan be replaced on site with a spare abatement part, and thus theprocess downtime can be reduced.

(3) The exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump has been heated bycompression heat in the vacuum pump to a temperature of about 200° C.,and the heated exhaust gas is introduced from the discharge pipedirectly into the abatement part wherein the exhaust gas can be treatedto be made harmless. Therefore, it is not necessary to heat the exhaustgas from normal temperature, and an amount of fuel used in the abatementpart can be reduced, thus achieving energy saving. Since the exhaust gasheated to a temperature of about 200° C. flows through the dischargepipe of the vacuum pump, it is not necessary to heat the discharge pipeby a heater for piping. Therefore, it is not necessary to install theheater for piping, and thus energy saving can be achieved.

(4) Waste heat generated by abatement treatment of the exhaust gas inthe abatement part is utilized to heat the inert gas such as N₂, and theheated inert gas is supplied to the vacuum pump. Therefore, purging ofthe vacuum pump can be performed by the heated inert gas, and thus theproduct can be prevented from being attached to the interior of thevacuum pump. According to the embodiment, it is not necessary to installa dedicated heater for heating the inert gas, thus achieving thereduction of the design man-hours, the reduction of the lead time due tothe reduced number of the parts, and the reduction of the cost. Further,power for heater is not necessary, and thus energy can be saved.

(5) The plural abatement parts are connected in combination of seriesand/or parallel to form a group of abatement parts which can cope withvarious kinds of process demands and complex process demands. The pluralabatement parts may be connected in combination of the plural kinds ofthe abatement parts such as a combustion-type, a dry-type, a wet-typeand a fixing-type, or in combination of the plural abatement parts of asingle kind, depending on the amount and kinds of the exhaust gas. Byproviding the minimum specifications in accordance with the safeallowable concentration, the minimum initial cost and the minimumrunning cost can be achieved. By arranging the abatement pans inparallel, at the time of breakdown or maintenance of one abatement part,another abatement part can perform back-up operation to make the processdowntime zero.

(6) Since a pump controller is configured to collectively control thevacuum pump and the abatement part, it is not necessary to prepareinterfaces from the manufacturing apparatus respectively for the vacuumpump and for the exhaust gas treatment apparatus unlike conventionalmanner. Since a main port for signals is provided in the vacuum pump,the control of the apparatus side or the factory side can be simplified.Since the pump controller controls the abatement part in accordance withthe operation status of the vacuum pump, synchronous operation and safeoperation, in accordance with the use conditions and use environment, ofthe abatement part and the vacuum pump can be realized. The operationmode of the abatement part can be optimized in accordance with the usestatus of the vacuum pump.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are schematic perspective views showingconfiguration examples of vacuum pumps with abatement function accordingto an embodiment;

FIGS. 2A through 2E are schematic perspective views showing otherconfiguration examples of vacuum pumps with abatement function accordingto an embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an example wherein a pluralityof vacuum pumps with abatement function according to an embodiment areinstalled to evacuate a plurality of process chambers;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing an example wherein a scrubberis installed in the case where powder generated in an abatement part ofa vacuum pump cannot be discharged directly to an exhaust duct;

FIGS. 5A through 5E are schematic perspective views each showing aconfiguration example wherein an abatement part having a cylindricalcontainer shape is installed vertically (FIGS. 5 a through 5D) orlaterally (FIG. 5E) and an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outletof the abatement part are arranged in various directions so as to dealwith various connecting forms;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic perspective views showing configurationswherein plural abatement parts are connected in series and/or inparallel so as to deal with the amount and kind of exhaust gasdischarged from one or more vacuum pumps;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic views showing configurations of thecommonalized utilities of the vacuum pump with abatement functionaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a controller of avacuum pump with abatement function according to an embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a controllerprovided on an abatement part for dedicatedly controlling the abatementpart; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a small-sizedcombustion-type abatement part suitable for the abatement part of thevacuum pump with abatement function of an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A vacuum pump with abatement function according to embodiments will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 1A through 10. In FIGS. 1Athrough 10, identical or corresponding parts are denoted by identical orcorresponding reference numerals throughout views, and will not bedescribed in duplication.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are schematic perspective views showingconfiguration examples of vacuum pumps with abatement function accordingto the embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, each of vacuum pumps with abatementfunction according to the embodiment has a configuration wherein anabatement part 10 is attached to a discharge pipe 1 a of a vacuum pump1. The vacuum pump 1 may comprise a single dry vacuum pump or aplurality of dry vacuum pumps connected in series or in parallel. Theone or more dry vacuum pumps comprise a roots-type dry vacuum pump, ascrew-type dry vacuum pump, a claw-type dry vacuum pump, a scroll-typedry vacuum pump, or the like, which is well known in the art and willnot be shown and described in detail below. In FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, eachof the vacuum pumps 1 is illustrated as a vacuum pump having a housingC. The abatement part 10 is composed of a cylindrical container as awhole. When each of the abatement parts is connected to the city pump, acontroller of the dry pump automatically recognizes the kind of theabatement part.

In FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, the arrangement relations between the vacuumpumps 1 and the abatement parts 10 differ from each other. In FIG. 1A,the vacuum pump 1 and the abatement part 10 are juxtaposed. In FIG. 1B,the abatement part 10 is arranged below the vacuum pump 1. In FIG. 1C,the abatement part 10 is arranged above the vacuum pump 1. In FIGS. 1A,1B and 1C, the kinds of the abatement parts 10 include acombustion-type, a dry-type, a wet-type, a heater-type, afluorine-fixing-type, a catalytic-type, a plasma-type, and adilution-unit-type (a blower, N₂ adding, air adding). In the embodiment,these plural kinds of the abatement parts 10 employing differenttreatment types of exhaust gas are prepared. Further, a plurality ofabatement parts 10 having different treatment amounts of exhaust gas ineach of the abatement parts 10 employing different treatment types ofexhaust gas are prepared. In the embodiment, an optimal abatement part10 is selected, depending on the amount and kind of the exhaust gasdischarged from the vacuum pump 1, from the plural kinds of abatementparts 10, and/or the plural abatement parts 10 having differenttreatment amounts of exhaust gas, and the selected abatement part 10 isintegrated with the vacuum pump 1.

In FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, the discharge pipe in which connects a dischargeport of the vacuum pump 1 and a gas introduction port of the abatementpart 10 has a piping length of not more than 500 ram, specifically 200mm to 400 mm. Further, the diameter of the discharge port of thedischarge pipe in is not less than 15 mm in consideration of the backpressure of the dry vacuum pump, specifically 16 mm to 40 mm. Theabatement part 10 may be connected directly to a discharge portion ofthe vacuum pump 1, without providing the discharge pipe 1 a.

FIGS. 2A through 2E are schematic perspective views showing otherconfiguration examples of vacuum pumps with abatement function accordingto the embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B each shows a vacuum pump with abatement function havinga configuration wherein two abatement parts 10, 10 are attached torespective portions branched from a discharge pipe 1 a of the vacuumpump 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the branched portions of the dischargepipe 1 a are connected directly to the two abatement parts 10, 10. Inthe example shown in FIG. 2B, by providing an automatically-operatedvalve (or manually-operated valve) V1 on each of the branched portionsof the discharge pipe 1 a, the inflow of the exhaust gas to each of theabatement parts 10, 10 can be controlled.

FIGS. 2C and 2D each shows a vacuum pump with abatement function havinga configuration wherein discharge pipes 1 a, 1 a of two vacuum pumps 1,1 are connected by a manifold 2 and a single abatement part 10 isattached to the manifold 2.

In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the manifold 2 and the abatement part10 are connected to each other. In the example shown in FIG. 2D, byproviding two automatically-operated valves (or manually-operatedvalves) V2, V2 on the manifold 2, the inflow of the exhaust gas fromeach of the vacuum pumps 1, 1 to the abatement part 10 can becontrolled.

FIG. 2E shows a vacuum pump with abatement function having aconfiguration wherein discharge pipes 1 a, 1 a of two vacuum pumps 1, 1are connected by a manifold 2 and three abatement parts 10 are attachedto the manifold 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1A through 2E, according to the embodiment, since thecompact abatement part (or parts) 10 is provided directly on thedischarge port (or ports) of one or plural vacuum pumps 1 a to constructan integrated unit, it is not necessary to consider a conventionaldesign such as a storage rack for housing one or plural exhaust gastreatment apparatuses and one or plural dry vacuum pumps. As a result,the design time and the verification time can be shortenedsignificantly, thus contributing to reduction of the lead time. Further,in the abatement part 10, by performing each module design, the designtime necessary for designing a single abatement part can be shortened.Furthermore, the combined configuration determined by the kinds and thenumber of the abatement parts 10 can be tailored to the use conditions.Since the modularized abatement part is provided in each of the dryvacuum pumps (process chambers), flexible measures to cope with a loadfactor in each of the process chambers can be taken.

Since the development time of the abatement part 10 is shortened, thelead time is reduced. Since the products are standardized, a database ofperformance records or other records in each process can be easilyconstructed. Since the performance of respective abatement parts isclarified, the type of the abatement part and the suggestion of theabatement part can be facilitated.

Since the abatement part 10 has a simple configuration, the parts can becommonalized. Consequently, the manufacturing lead time and themanufacturing cost can be reduced.

Since the abatement parts 10 can be standardized, the respectiveabatement parts 10 can easily meet and follow the safety standards andguidelines.

Since the conventional exhaust gas treatment apparatus has been large insize, its transportation, installation, de-installation and relocationhave not been easy and have required complex control. On the other hand,the abatement part 10 of the embodiment has a small-sized and compactconfiguration and is comprised of a small number of parts, thus reducinga failure rate. In the case of failure, the abatement part can bereplaced on site with a spare abatement part, and thus the processdowntime can be reduced.

Further, in the case of maintenance, the abatement part can be replacedon site with a spare abatement part, and thus the process downtime canbe reduced. In the case of abnormality, only the abatement part 10 canbe brought to the factory or service center and inspected there.

According to the embodiment, the exhaust gas discharged from the vacuumpump 1 has been heated by compression heat in the vacuum pump 1 to atemperature of about 200° C., and the heated exhaust gas is introducedfrom the discharge pipe 1 a directly into the abatement part 10 whereinthe exhaust gas can be treated to be made harmless by combustion.Therefore, it is not necessary to heat the exhaust gas from normaltemperature, and an amount of fuel used in the abatement part 10 can bereduced, thus achieving energy saving. Since the exhaust gas heated to atemperature of about 200° C. flows through the discharge pipe 1 a of thevacuum pump 1, it is not necessary to heat the discharge pipe 1 a by aheater for piping. Therefore, it is not necessary to install the heaterfor piping, and thus energy saving can be achieved. Further, since thedischarge pipe 1 a which connects the vacuum pump 1 and the abatementpart 10 has a piping length of not more than 500 mm, the product can beprevented from being attached to the discharge pipe 1 a.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing an example wherein a pluralityof vacuum pumps with abatement function according to the embodiment areinstalled to evacuate a plurality of process chambers. In FIG. 3, avacuum pump with abatement function, according to the embodiment, havinga configuration wherein an abatement part 10 is attached to a dischargepipe 1 a of a vacuum pump 1 is identified by using VAC. As shown in FIG.3, the plural vacuum pumps VAC with abatement function are housed in apump rack 20. By providing the minimum specifications of the abatementpart 10 of the vacuum pump VAC in accordance with the safe allowableconcentration, the minimum initial cost and the minimum running cost canbe achieved. An outlet of the abatement part 10 of the vacuum pump VACis connected directly to an exhaust duct 21 of the factory. Powdergenerated in the treatment by the abatement part 10 is blown of by flowvelocity of the exhaust of the abatement part 10 and is then dischargedto the exhaust duct 21.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view showing an example wherein a scrubberis installed in the case where the powder generated in the abatementpart 10 of the vacuum pump VAC cannot be discharged directly to theexhaust duct 21. As shown in FIG. 4, outlets of the abatement parts 10of the plural vacuum pumps VAC are connected to a scrubber 23 viaconnecting pipes 22. The scrubber 23 comprises a water scrubber, forexample. An outlet of the scrubber 23 is connected to the exhaust duct21 (see FIG. 3). A filter may be installed instead of the scrubber.

As shown in FIGS. 1A through 2E, the vacuum pump 1 and the abatementpart 10 are connected to each other in a variety of arrangements.Further, one or more vacuum pumps 1 are connected to one or moreabatement parts 10. Furthermore, according to the embodiment, there arecases where plural abatement parts 10 are connected in series or inparallel. Accordingly, the abatement part 10 used in the embodiment isrequired to have a configuration of an exhaust gas inlet 10 _(IN) and anexhaust gas outlet 1 (bur capable of dealing with various connectingforms.

FIGS. 5A through 5E are schematic perspective views each showing aconfiguration example wherein an abatement part 10 having a cylindricalcontainer shape is installed vertically (FIGS. 5 a through 5D) orlaterally (FIG. 5E) and an exhaust gas inlet 10 _(IN) and an exhaust gasoutlet 10 _(OUT) of the abatement part 10 are arranged in variousdirections so as to deal with the various connecting forms. In theexample shown in FIG. 5A, the inlet 10 _(IN) (or outlet 10 _(OUT)) ofthe abatement part 10 is provided at an upper part of a side surface ofthe abatement part 10, and the outlet 10 _(OUT) (or inlet 10) of theabatement part 10 is provided at a lower part of the side surface of theabatement part 10. In the example shown in FIG. 5B, the inlet 10 _(IN)(or outlet 10 _(OUT)) of the abatement part 10 is provided at a lowersurface of the abatement part 10, and the outlet 10 _(OUT) (or inlet 10_(IN)) of the abatement part 10 is provided at an upper surface of theabatement part 10. In the example shown in FIG. 5C, the inlet 10 _(IN)(or outlet 10 _(OUT)) of the abatement part 10 is provided at the uppersurface of the abatement part 10, and the outlet 10 _(OUT) (or inlet 10_(IN)) of the abatement part 10 is provided at the lower part of theside surface of the abatement part 10. In the example shown in FIG. 5D,the inlet 10 _(IN) (or outlet 10 _(OUT)) of the abatement part 10 isprovided at the lower surface of the abatement part 10, and the outlet10 _(OUT) (or inlet 10 _(IN)) of the abatement part 10 is provided atthe upper part of the side surface of the abatement part 10. In theexample shown in FIG. 5E, the inlet 10 _(IN) of the abatement part 10 isprovided at one lateral surface, and the outlet 10 _(OUT) of theabatement part 10 is provided at the other lateral surface.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are schematic perspective views showing configurationswherein plural abatement parts 10 are connected in series and/or inparallel so as to deal with the amount and kind of the exhaust gasdischarged from one or more vacuum pumps 1.

In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the plural (three as illustrated)abatement parts 10 are connected in series. The plural abatement parts10 may be connected via a connecting pipe 11, or a gas outlet and a gasinlet of the two adjacent abatement parts 10 may be connected directlyto each other without using the connecting pipe 11.

In the example shown in FIG. 613, the plural abatement parts 10 areconnected in series and in parallel via connecting pipes 11 andmanifolds 12 so that the number of the abatement parts 10 increasesgradually in the flow direction of the exhaust gas. Specifically, theabatement parts 10 are arranged in multiple stages from an upstream sidetoward a downstream side of the flow direction of the exhaust gas suchthat the number of the abatement parts 10 in respective stages increasesso as to be one, two and three, and these abatement parts 10 areconnected in series from the upstream side toward the downstream side.The plural abatement parts 10 in each stage are connected in parallelvia the manifold 12.

As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the plural abatement parts 10 are connectedin combination of series and/or parallel to form a group of abatementparts which can cope with various kinds of process demands and complexprocess demands. The plural abatement parts 10 may be connected incombination of the plural kinds of the abatement parts 10 such as acombustion-type, a dry-type, a wet-type and a fixing-type, or incombination of the plural abatement parts of a single kind, depending onthe amount and kinds of the exhaust gas.

By providing the minimum necessary specifications in accordance with thesafe allowable concentration, the minimum initial cost and the minimumrunning cost can be achieved.

By arranging the abatement parts 10 in parallel, back-up operation caneasily be performed. Specifically, at the time of breakdown ormaintenance of one abatement part 10, another abatement part 10 canperform the back-up operation to make the process downtime zero.

Further, by installing the plural abatement parts 10 to perform anoverhaul of the abatement part 10 concurrently with an overhaul of thevacuum pump 1, mutual hack-up operation can be performed.

In the case of a change of process specifications after installment ofthe abatement parts, modification of setting values in each abatementpart can be made easily, and in some cases, only the modification of aspecific abatement part is sufficient to deal with such change.

The design of the abatement part 10 itself is unnecessary or minimized,and only the layout consideration is sufficient. Further, since theabatement parts 10 are standardized for each level of requiredperformance, modification parts can be manufactured easily. Further ore,the delivery time for the parts can be reduced and the modificationprocedure can be simplified.

Since every abatement part is designed to meet the standards, in thecase of new required specifications, the consideration and acquisitionof certification for the standards is not necessary. All the pipes arenot necessary to be collecting pipes. If necessary, a valve may beprovided on a piping portion. In the case where the plural abatementparts 10 are connected in series or in parallel, the installation placeand direction of the abatement parts 10 can be set freely. Further, bycombining one or more abatement parts 10 and a control panel 13, astand-alone monolithic/composite abatement system can be constructed.Furthermore, auxiliary equipment may be added appropriately to theconfiguration shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.

Next, utilities of the vacuum pump with abatement function according tothe embodiment will be described. FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic viewsshowing configurations of the commonalized utilities of the vacuum pumpwith abatement function according to the embodiment.

In an example shown in FIG. 7A, power is supplied to the vacuum pump 1and power for the abatement part 10 is supplied from the vacuum pump 1.The power may be supplied to the abatement part 10 from an interface boxinstalled in the vacuum pump 1. Cooling water is supplied to the vacuumpump 1 to cool the vacuum pump, and then supplied to the abatement part10 to cool the abatement part 10. The cooling water which has cooled theabatement part 10 is returned to a utility facility. In order to preventa product from being attached to an interior of the vacuum pump 1, N₂can be supplied from the utility facility to the vacuum pump 1. In thecase where the abatement part 10 comprises a combustion-type abatementpart, a fuel and an oxidizing agent can be supplied from the utilityfacility to the abatement part 10. The fuel and the oxidizing agent maybe supplied from portable cylinders. In this case, the combustion-typeabatement part can be operated in a place having no fuel supply line.The portable cylinders can be placed in a plurality of rows so that aused cylinder can be replaced during operation of the abatement part. Inthe case where the fuel and the oxidizing agent are supplied from theportable cylinders, pressure gages P may be provided to detect remainingamounts (or to monitor pressures) of the fuel and/or the oxidizingagent. In this case, when the remaining amount in the portable cylinderbecomes lower than a certain amount, notification function bysignal/lamp/sound may be performed.

In the example shown in FIG. 7B, in the case where the abatement part 10comprises a combustion-type abatement part or a thermo-oxidative-typeabatement part, N₂ is supplied from the utility facility to theabatement part 10, and waste heat generated by abatement treatment ofthe exhaust gas in the abatement part 10 is utilized to heat the N₂, andthe heated N₂ is supplied to the vacuum pump 1. Therefore, purging ofthe vacuum pump 1 can be performed by the heated N₂ gas, and thus theproduct can be prevented from being attached to the interior of thevacuum pump 1. According to the embodiment, it is not necessary toinstall a dedicated heater for heating the N₂ gas, thus achieving thereduction of the design man-hours, the reduction of the lead time due tothe minced number of the parts, and the reduction of the cost. Further,power for heater is not necessary, and thus energy can be saved. Thepurge gas may be an inert gas which does not react with the containedgases, other than N₂. For example, the purge gas may be a noble gas suchas He, Ar or Kr, or CO₂.

Even if a sufficiently high temperature is not ensured by the wasteheat, since the N₂ whose temperature has been raised to some extent canbe supplied to the heater for hot N₂, a bad factor of the heater for hotN₂ can be reduced compared to the case of temperature rise from anordinary temperature, thereby contributing to the reduction of necessarypower consumption. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, other utilities suchas power and cooling water are supplied as with the example shown inFIG. 7A.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, since the supply line of N₂ and the supplyline of cooling water are configured respectively to connect the vacuumpump 1 and the abatement part 10 in series, the lines at the utilityside can be simplified. Therefore, the design man-hours (hard/soft) canbe reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to ensure utility linesfor the abatement part 10, the utility planning can be simplified toreduce the initial cost. Furthermore, the management of the utilitystatus in the abatement part 10 and the vacuum pump 1 can be performedby a single monitor to facilitate operational management.

Next, a configuration of a controller of a vacuum pump with abatementfunction of the embodiment will be described. Since the vacuum pump withabatement function of the embodiment comprises an integrated-type vacuumpump in which one or more abatement parts 10 are attached to one or morevacuum pumps 1, a controller provided in the vacuum pump 1 is configuredto perform overall control of the vacuum pump with abatement function.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a controller of avacuum pump with abatement function according to the embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 8, the vacuum pump with abatement function according tothe embodiment has a configuration wherein an abatement part 10 isattached to a discharge pipe 1 a of a vacuum pump 1, and a pumpcontroller 30 is provided in the vacuum pump 1. The pump controller 30is capable of sending and receiving signals, via communication lines andthe like, to and from a controller 31 provided in a manufacturingapparatus or the like. Further, the pump controller 30 outputs statussignals of the vacuum pump 1 and the abatement part 10 to a centralmonitoring system 32. The pump controller 30 is configured tocollectively control the vacuum pump 1 and the abatement part 10 so thata portion of signal input/output of the pump is connected to theabatement part 10, and operation control and status monitoring of theabatement part 10 are performed by the pump controller 30. Specifically,the pump controller 30 is configured to output operation/shutdownsignals to a control box 10 a of the abatement part 10, and the controlbox 10 a is configured to output the status signals of the abatementpart 10 to the pump controller 30. The pump can be operated by a remoteoperation, local operation and COM operation. Since a main breaker isprovided on a control panel of the vacuum pump 1, only the minimumnecessary electric components are sufficient for the abatement part 10.

When an operation signal of the vacuum pump 1 is outputted from the pumpcontroller 30, an operation signal of the abatement part 10 is outputtedsimultaneously from the pump controller 30 to the abatement part 10,thereby starting the operation of the abatement part 10. In the casewhere the abatement part 10 comprises a combustion-type abatement part,ignition of a pilot burner is started. While the vacuum pump 1 is inidling operation, the operation of the abatement part 10 is stopped. Inthe pump controller 30, setting of operational timing in the abatementpart 10 can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 8, since the pump controller 30 is configured tocollectively control the vacuum pump 1 and the abatement part 10, it isnot necessary to prepare interfaces from the manufacturing apparatusrespectively for the vacuum pump and for the exhaust gas treatmentapparatus unlike conventional manner. Further, the abatement part 10 iscomprised of the minimum necessary electric components.

Furthermore, since a main port for signals is provided in the vacuumpump 1, the control of the apparatus side or the factory side can besimplified.

The kind and the number of the abatement parts 10 is determineddepending on the kind and amount of the gas. The abatement part 10 andthe pump controller 30 are connected to each other, and thus the pumpcontroller 30 can automatically recognize the kind and the number of theabatement parts 10. The pump controller 30 can individually determinethe kind and the number of the abatement pans 10.

Since the pump controller 30 controls the abatement part 10 inaccordance with the operation status of the vacuum pump 1, synchronousoperation and safe operation, in accordance with the use conditions anduse environment, of the abatement part and the vacuum pump can berealized.

The operation mode of the abatement part 10 can be optimized inaccordance with the use status of the vacuum pump 1. The user does notneed to construct control sequences of the abatement part 10. At thetime of installation of the abatement part 10, wiring work is notnecessary, thereby reducing man-hours.

In the case where the abatement part 10 comprises a combustion-typeabatement part, according to the kind of process gas used in each step,the flow rate of a fuel or an oxidizing agent may be adjusted during theprocess to change a combustion mode. Conventionally, signals areinputted from the apparatus or the utility facility to the abatementpart to change the mode. In an embodiment, signals are inputted to thecontroller of the dry pump to change the combustion mode of theabatement part 10.

Further, signals for the abatement part 10 can be utilized in the vacuumpump 1. For example, in the case of the combustion abatement, in orderto treat a cleaning gas such as Cl₂, the fuel and oxygen generally needto be increased to decompose the gas in a high temperature state. Insome cases, a treatment signal for the cleaning gas treatment isseparately outputted. However, since the interfaces are integrated intothe controller of the vacuum pump, the treatment signal can be utilizedas an increase signal of N₂ for dilution, as collusion countermeasure ofpump parts. Accordingly, a lifetime of the vacuum pump can be prolonged.

Since the status of the abatement part 10 is displayed on a statusmonitoring device of the vacuum pump 1, the operation can be performedeasily. The collective control can be performed based on only the statusdisplayed on the master vacuum pump 1, and abnormalities of theabatement part and the pump can be collectively monitored by the user.

Further, since the consolidated information of the vacuum pump 1 and theabatement part 10 can be collected, the status of the vacuum pump 1 andthe abatement part 10 at the time of trouble can be grasped, and thusthe trouble can be analyzed easily and the time necessary for copingwith the trouble and the improvement can be shortened.

In the case where the abatement part 10 of the embodiment is connectedto an existing exhaust system equipped with a vacuum pump, in the casewhere the abatement part 10 of the embodiment is brought to the marketin which a vacuum pump is not necessary, or in other cases, theabatement part 10 needs to be controlled alone, thus requiring acontroller for dedicatedly controlling the abatement part 10.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing a configuration of a controllerprovided on an abatement part 10 for dedicatedly controlling theabatement part 10. As shown in FIG. 9, the abatement part 10 has acontrol box 10 a. The control box 10 a is capable of sending andreceiving signals, via communication lines and the like, to and from acontroller 31 provided in a manufacturing apparatus or the like.Further, the control box 10 a outputs status signals of the abatementpart 10 to a central monitoring system 32.

As shown in FIG. 9, since the abatement part 10 has the control box 10 afor controlling the entire abatement part 10, the stand-alone-typeabatement part 10 can be constructed. The stand-alone-type abatementpart 10 can be used in combination of a blower and the abatement part10, or by the abatement part 10 itself. Therefore, the abatement part 10can be used in the existing exhaust system equipped with the vacuumpump.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a small-sizedcombustion-type abatement part 10 suitable for the abatement part of thevacuum pump with abatement function according to the embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 10, the abatement part 10 is composed of a cylindricalcontainer as a whole. The cylindrical container-shaped abatement part 10is disposed in a vertical direction so that its central axis extends ina vertical direction. The abatement part 10 comprises a cylindricalmember 41 which has a bottom and forms a combustion chamber S thereinfor forming flames by a burner and combusting an exhaust gas, and anouter cylinder 42 provided so as to surround the cylindrical member 41with a predetermined distance therebetween. A heating chamber 43 forholding and heating an inert gas such as an N₂ gas is formed between thecylindrical member 41 and the outer cylinder 42. The inert gas such asan N₂ gas flows into the heating chamber 43 from an inlet port P_(IN)provided at an upper part of the outer cylinder 42 and is heated in theheating chamber 43, and flows out from an outlet port P_(OUT) providedat a lower part of the outer cylinder 42. The heating chamber 43 havinga double-pipe-structure constitutes a heat exchanger. The inert gasheated in the heating chamber 43 can be supplied to the vacuum pump 1.The inert gas is heated in the heating chamber 43 to a temperature whichis substantially equal to an internal temperature of the vacuum pump 1,for example, to a temperature of 190° C. to 220° C.

As shown in FIG. 10, a gas introduction port 10 _(IN) for introducingthe exhaust gas to be treated into the combustion chamber is formed at alower part of a circumferential wall of the abatement part 10. A gasoutlet 10 _(OUT) for discharging the gas after treatment is formed atthe upper end of the abatement part 10. A plurality of air nozzles 45for supplying air into the combustion chamber S and a plurality of fuelnozzles 46 for supplying a fuel into the combustion chamber S areprovided in the abatement part 10. The air nozzles 45 extend at apredetermined angle to the tangential direction of the abatement part 10to blow of air so as to form swirling flows along an innercircumferential surface of the circumferential wall of the cylindricalmember 41. Similarly, the fuel nozzles 46 extend at a predeterminedangle to the tangential direction of the cylindrical member 41 to blowoff the fuel so as to form swirling flows along the innercircumferential surface of the circumferential wall of the cylindricalmember 41. The air nozzles 45 and the fuel nozzles 46 are disposedrespectively at predetermined intervals in the circumferential directionof the abatement part 10. A UV sensor 48 for detecting flames and a plug49 for ignition are provided on the bottom of the cylindrical member 41.

A cylindrical pilot burner part 50 is provided so as to surround theplug 49. A fuel supply port 51 for supplying a fuel for forming a flameand an air supply port 52 for supplying semi-premixed air are formed inthe pilot burner part 50. Thus, a pilot burner flame PB is formed byigniting the fuel supplied from the fuel supply port 51 with the plug49.

The control box 10 a of the abatement part 10 has electromagnetic valvesEV1, EV2 and EV3, an ignition transformer 53 for the plug 49, ameasuring unit 54 for the UV sensor 48, and a pulse generator 55.Further, the control box 10 a has a power supply 56 and a CPU 57. Thepower supply 56 is connected to a pump controller 30 (see FIG. 8), andthe CPU 57 is connected to the pump controller 30. The pump controller30 and the interface means of the abatement part 10 are not limited tothe power supply and communication (RS485).

Next, operation of the abatement part 10 shown in FIG. 10 willdescribed.

The fuel is blown off from the plural fuel nozzles 46 provided in theabatement part 10 toward the combustion chamber S so as to form theswirling flows. Further, air is blown of from the plural air nozzles 45toward the combustion chamber S so as to form the swirling flows. Then,the mixture gas of fuel and air is ignited by the pilot burner flame PB,and thus the swirling flows of flames (swirling flames) are formed alongthe inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical member 41.

On the other hand, the exhaust gas to be treated is blown of toward thecombustion chamber S loom the exhaust gas introduction port 10 _(IN)which opens on the inner circumferential surface of the cylindricalmember 41. The blown-off exhaust gas mixes with the swirling flames ofthe mixture gas and is combusted. At this time, because the fuel isblown off from all the fuel nozzles 46 provided in the circumferentialdirection of the cylindrical member 41 so as to swirl intensely in onedirection, combustion efficiency of the exhaust gas becomes high.Further, since the air ejected from the air nozzles 45 is also swirling,while the air flows mix with the flames to accelerate the swirling flowsof the flames, the exhaust gas is oxidatively decomposed. The treatedgas is discharged from the gas outlet 10 _(OUT) at the upper end of theabatement part 10, and is then discharged to the exhaust duct.

According to the combustion-type abatement part shown in FIG. 10,combustion waste heat generated by abatement treatment of the exhaustgas is utilized to heat the inert gas such as an N₂ in the heatingchamber 43 of the abatement part 10, and the heated inert gas issupplied to the vacuum pump 1. Therefore, purging of the vacuum pump 1can be performed by the heated inert gas, and thus a product can beprevented from being attached to the interior of the vacuum pump 1.According to the embodiment, it is not necessary to install a dedicatedheater for heating the inert gas, thus achieving energy saving.

In the case where the exhaust gas treatment is unnecessary and onlydilution of the exhaust gas is necessary (for example, in the case wherethe consumption efficiency of the process gas in the chamber such as CVDis high, and component concentration of harmful gas in the exhaust fromthe dry pump is close to the allowable concentration), a systemconfiguration wherein no abatement part is provided and N₂ or air fordilution is supplied from a blower enables system simplification andcost reduction.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed above, it should be understood that the present invention isnot limited to the above embodiments, but various changes andmodifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vacuum pump with abatement function comprising:a vacuum pump having a discharge port to which one or more abatementparts for treating an exhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump tomake the exhaust gas harmless an attached; wherein the one or moreabatement parts are selected, depending on the amount and kind of theexhaust gas discharged from the vacuum pump, from plural kinds ofabatement parts which have different treatment types of exhaust gasand/or different treatment amounts of exhaust gas.
 2. The vacuum pumpwith abatement function according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum pumpcomprises a single vacuum pump or a plurality of vacuum pumps connectedin series and/or in parallel.
 3. The vacuum pump with abatement functionaccording to claim 1, wherein the one or more abatement parts comprise asingle abatement part or a plurality of abatement parts connected inseries and/or in parallel.
 4. The vacuum pump with abatement functionaccording to claim 1, wherein a common utility facility is configured tosupply cooling water and/or an inert gas to the vacuum pump and the oneor more abatement parts.
 5. The vacuum pump with abatement functionaccording to claim 4, wherein the inert gas is heated by using heatgenerated by the abatement treatment of the exhaust gas in the abatementpart, and the heated inert gas is supplied to the vacuum pump.
 6. Thevacuum pump with abatement function according to claim 4, wherein thecommon utility facility is configured to supply fuel and air to theabatement part of a combustion-type.
 7. The vacuum pump with abatementfunction according to claim 6, wherein the common utility facility isconfigured to supply the fuel from a portable cylinder.
 8. The vacuumpump with abatement function according to claim 1, wherein the exhaustgas is treated by the one or more abatement parts, and then the treatedgas is discharged directly to an exhaust duct located at an installationsite of the vacuum pump with abatement function.
 9. The vacuum pump withabatement function according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas istreated by the one or more abatement parts, and then the treated gas isdischarged to a scrubber.
 10. The vacuum pump with abatement functionaccording to claim 1, wherein a controller configured to collectivelycontrol the vacuum pump and the abatement part is provided.
 11. Anabatement part comprising: one or more abatement parts for treating anexhaust gas to make the exhaust gas harmless; and a controllerconfigured to control the entirety of the one or more abatement parts;wherein the controller is configured to send and receive signals to andfrom a controller provided in an apparatus located at an installationsite of the abatement part, and to output status signals of the one ormore abatement parts to a monitoring system located at the installationsite.